Season the lamb with salt and pepper. Quickly sear it on all sides in hot butter. Take the meat from the skillet and quickly fry the bacon. Cube the lamb, put it back into the skillet with the bacon, add 1½ dl water, the vinegar, chopped pickles and spices. Mix and let the stew simmer for 90 minutes.

In the meantime peel the potatoes, cut them into chunks and add to the stew. Clean and slice the cabbage, peel and dice the onions and add to the stew as well. Simmer for another 30 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Boil the potatoes and when done drain the water and steam them for a minute or so. Let them cool. Purée the potatoes over a bowl.

Dice the bacon or pork slab. Put the butter in a hot skillet and when the foam starts to evaporate, put in the bacon bits. Turn down the heat and saute the meat till it is golden brown. Drain the grease into a small bowl to use later and put the bacon bits to the side.

Pour the grease into a large, heavy skillet. Add the onions and saute for two minutes. Put in the garlic and saute for a minute longer. Sift in the flour and mix well. While stirring add 2 quarts of water and stir until the mix boils. Add the stock cubes and milk and bring to a boil again.

Whisk in the mashed potatoes and turn down the heat. Add the sprig of rosemary and let the soup simmer for five minutes. Take out the rosemary and whisk the soup some more.

When the soup is ready to serve, fold in the bacon bits, cream and 4 tablespoons of chives. Pour in a heated serving dish or tureen. Sprinkle the rest of the chives over it. Allow your guests to add the grated cheese to the soup to taste.

Rub salt and freshly ground black pepper on the chops and fry them in 75 grams of butter in a skillet for three minutes each side.

Put them in a lightly buttered oven dish and bake them for 12 to 15 minutes in a warm oven at 120ºC/235ºF.

Take the dish from the oven and cover with foil or with a fitting lid.

Saute the finely sliced shallots and pressed garlic in the grease/butter left in the skillet. Mix in the coarsely chopped rosemary and thyme, add the crumbled bay leaf and the wine. Bring to a boil and add the fond or bouillon. Slowly bring to a boil again and let it simmer for 5 minutes.

Mix in the cornstarch and pour the stock through a sieve into a small saucepan. Bring to a boil again and whisk in the rest of the butter.

Put the chops on individual plates and pour the glazed sauce over them. Serve with pan-fried potato slices, and green beans or spinach.

Roast Venison with Stewed Vegetables

This is a great meal that can be made with many varieties of meat and vegetables.

[1] Combine the first three ingredients; rub
over roast. In a Dutch oven, brown roast on all
sides in oil. Add apple juice, broth, onion,
thyme and bay leaf. Bring to a boil; reduce
heat. Cover and simmer for 2 hours.
[2] Add potatoes, carrots and celery; cover
and simmer for 1 hour or until meat and vegetables
are tender. Discard bay leaf. Thicken
pan juices if desired.

This is a great recipe to try out. Its super easy and inexpensive. I like to customize it by adding in fresh fruit or candy after its been refrigerated. It’s not exactly apocalyptic but I figured some of you might like to give it a try.

Bring one quart of milk to the simmer stage (180 degrees) and remove from heat. Stir often to prevent scorching and sticking to the bottom of the pan.

Cover and cool to about 110 degrees. It is very important that you allow the temperature to drop so as not to kill the bacterial culture you are now ready to introduce.

Remove about one-half cup cooled milk and make a paste with one-quarter cup of good quality commercial yogurt. The commercial yogurt you use should be unflavored and unsweetened. You could use a starter but why spend the extra bucks? Commercial yogurt works fine. You can use your home-made yogurt as a starter for your next batch.

Mix the paste with the remainder of the cooled milk and stir thoroughly.

Pour milk into any appropriately sized shallow glass, enamel or stainless steel container (I use a Le Creuset pot), cover and let stand for at least 24 hours at 100-110 degrees up to a maximum of 29 hours. After 30 hours, it starts to kill the good bacteria. To keep the correct temperature for the culture, I use a 60 watt bulb in my oven and leave the light on. No other heat is needed. Remember, too high a temperature will kill the bacterial culture and will prevent proper “digestion” (conversion) of the lactose. Too low of a temperature will prevent the activation of bacterial enzymes and will result in incomplete “digestion” of the lactose.

Remove from oven and refrigerate.

While this yogurt may not be as thick as commercial yogurt, it will be a true yogurt with no thickeners or extenders. Speaking of thickeners, sometimes I add some Straus cream to the milk in the beginning if I want a more viscous consistency. For a Greek-style yogurt, strain the whey with cheese cloth (as in the photo) or flour sack towels.

When you’re ready to eat your home-made yogurt, try to eat only one cup. I dare you! It’s so delicious, you’ll be wanting more. Try the fresh yogurt with sage honey drizzled on top or with fresh berries to make your mouth say wow.

FOR RAW MILK YOGURT: In step 1, only heat the milk to 110 degrees so as not to kill the good stuff which is why you buy raw milk in the first place. I like raw milk yogurt better than the pasteurized, both in flavor and texture.